Trust: A Betrayer's Rise
by Freeloader1
Summary: Dano, a young yet highly effective member of the Downwind Thieves' Guild, has opted to do a non-sanctioned mission. Too bad he placed trust where none was deserved...This is a short story - one chapter only, and was originally a school assessment piece.


Disclaimer: I own none of the entities mentioned herein - most are the property of Looking Glass Studios (R. I. P.) and/or their nominated successor, and Eidos. I'm merely a fan, and this was originally an assessment piece for high-school English.  
  
A/N: This story doesn't focus on Garrett directly, but rather on another character we meet in Thief Gold - one of the thieves at the doorway to the Downwind Thieves' Guild. Three years have passed since the events of Thief 2, and the Downwind Thieves' Guild now exists purely under the leadership of Lord Ruben, Lord Donal having been killed shortly after Garrett stole the Sapphire Vase. There is a prequel to this one (also a school assessment piece) somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment. Please enjoy.  
  
Trust: A Betrayer's Rise  
  
"HALT THIEF!" Dano froze, not out of compliance but necessity. The guard who had bellowed the directive stood in the doorway to a fainly-lit hall, his sillouete showing an upraised sword. Dano, clothed in a black body suit, black cloak and decorative black rank-glove, felt confident - his outfit allowed him to merge with shadows as though by magery. Unfortunately, Dano's outfit did nothing to conceal the diamond in his outstreached hand, glinting even in the dim light. The guard shouted inarticulately and charged towards his now-revealed target, sword lowered so as to skewer the thief.  
  
The guard's charge ended prematurely, a cloud of sickly green gas seeming to rise out of the floor. Dano smiled smugly - his trap had performed perfectly - and reached into one of his cloak's inside pockets, withdrew a breath potion, and placed the mouth of the bottle in his own mouth, removing the stopper with his tongue. Breathing in with his mouth and out through his nose, he now had five to ten minutes of breathable air - more than enough to remove the guard's unconscious form from the gas cloud and into one of the room's darkened recesses. 'Always the same' he thought 'They never check for traps, they just charge right in....pitiful fools.'  
  
A minute later, the deed was done. Dano leaned out the door, scanning his surroundings with every sense he had, and wishing he could with a few he didn't. 'Telepathy' he reflected half-amusedly 'is not a skill within my reach.' Cautiously, he began to make his way to the next loot-filled room. Another thought, not unfamiliar, struck him. 'Perhaps Jander is capable of it.' The grin that emerged was equal parts admiration and vexation. Jander, Dano's immediate offsider, was an oddity. Full-blooded elves were a rare enough sight in the City - 'why do they call it the City? Bloody unimaginative fools' - preferring as they did to be surrounded by nature, but a half-elf - the result of a union between a human and an elf - was even rarer fare. Dano know some members of the Downwind Thieves' Guild despised Jander purely because of his mixed heritage, but Dano also knew most members of the Downwind weren't up to the same intellectual level as himself and Jander. 'A pity, but unavoidable - most well educated individuals found legal pursuits that satisfied both themself and their fellows. But then again, most well-educated people, while still of noble birth, haven't gone through what I have, and still have a family name that's respected in this Builder-forsaken cesspool.' His bitter nostalgia brought forth painful memories and depressing emotions, but Dano shrugged it off quickly. 'Such things hold no meaning to me anymore' he thought contemptuously, and perhaps a bit sadly. 'The only measure of worth is how one can serve the Guild. That's how I judge Jander...and myself.' The voice in his head took on a hard tone. 'Family connections, a noble name - they are of no use to me...not anymore.' Much to his own surprise, sound emerged from his lips, "No use, whatsoever...."  
  
The next room proved to be as profitable as the last, yielding a nice amount of gold, a few trinkets that could be sold, and a nice cache of uncut gems - worth a bundle to anyone who was intent on harnessing magickal power in some sort of focus. 'The Hand Brotherhood would pay greatly for these...even more so given the size.' Dano knew that, contrary to common belief, smaller gems were better in magickal construction - they could focus more power at once because of the greater area of them exposed...at least, more planar area exposed. 'Those mages must go crazy, thinking constantly about how something impacts upon planes other than the Prime Material.' Dano shook his head, and closed his eyes briefly to ward off the headache that one often experiences when considering the planes. 'At least' he considered after a while 'the intelligence Jander supplied me was good - even if it was only the number of guards per level.' Dano smiled wryly. This was a private job - not a guild-sanctioned one, so he had to provide all of his own assets, including intelligence on the place. Not that it mattered in this case - the rank-based system the guild imposed on the use of assets would have meant he'd be worse off if this were a guild- sanctioned mission, and Jander would have had the intel ready for him regardless. 'The system's got a point - the better you are, the less assets you should need...and I am supposed to be one of the best, ranking up there with Garrett himself now.' For the second time in the same night, Dano smiled at a memory. He'd never met the master thief personally, but he had suffered because of him. 'If it weren't for Garrett, I might not have attained the rank of Advisor. If the bulldogs hadn't been so intent on capturing him that night, I might not have gone to the Guildhouse after they raided The Crippled Burrick.' That mission had gone down more than three years ago, guild-sanctioned and, like this one, Dano had no real idea as to the layout of the target house. An old thought crept into Dano's mind 'Pity I don't get pathfinder's pay.' Dano grimaced - that same thought had occured to him back at the late Baron Slazen's place, nearly four years ago, on the mission that earned him his current rank. But that mission hadn't gone exactly as planned, and Dano wondered what other parallels his current job and that older one might share. 'So long as there's no half-monkey, half-rat things killing people and alerting the bulldogs, I don't mind.' Dano tried to push the image of that night out of his mind completely, all the better to concentrate on his current mission. He failed, and the memories rose up like a wave in a fierce storm.  
  
The first memory that he remembered was the piercing scream - a bloodcurdling howl of fear, the cry of one who knew they weren't long for this world - that echoed out from the top floor of Baron Slazen's mansion. A second later, Dano had seen wierd looking hybrid monkey-rats falling past the window. Both were armed, and one of the swords was still dripping blood. Grotesque creatures, they were - if there was ever a time Dano cursed the Hammerites - 'other than for killing my family' - it was when he realised the street lights they had errected throughout the City gave him more than enough light to get a good look at the creatures, far more of a look than he liked. The second memory was that the mansion was just so empty - not a single living soul did Dano encounter once inside, and the drunken guard outside didn't really register on the living scale either. And then there was the running once he fled the place and the cops that were surely coming. The flood of memories continued unabated, drawing Dano under. His footsteps made no perceptible sound as he moved on to the next room that required "cleaning".  
  
Dano didn't realise his mistake until he opened the door. So engrossed was he in his memories, that he didn't see the archers all poised to fire upon the doorway. An arrow embedding itself in his left arm brought him back to reality, violently. 'Shit! Where in the Trickster's black heart did they come from!?' Dano backpedalled rapidly, dropping a few flashbombs to cover his escape. He turned and fled, gulping a speed potion as he ran.  
  
He was moving so fast, the doors on either side of the hallway were a blur - Dano was still disorientated from the pain blossoming out from his left upper arm. 'I don't remember speed potions being this effective....or for this long.' It occured to Dano that perhaps he was delirious from the pain - the intense sort of pain that could only be caused by a poisoned arrow - and began to slow his run. It took his mind a second to realise he'd run right past the front door, and his only chance at escape. He turned around and started back.... ...  
  
The archer knew he was running as fast as he could, but the thief still moved farther ahead - and would have no pursuit by now if the archer hadn't closed his eyes at the right time. ' All the others were caught off guard by that thief and his flashbomb - I might get the entire bounty for myself!' He notched an arrow, aiming for a snapshot at range, and loosed the feathered shaft towards the fleeing thief...  
  
A heavy thud sounded down the hall, and underneath his hood, Jander smiled. He didn't need to check the front door to know that Dano lay dead - the divining spell told him that. A single arrow was all it took, one right through the eye. The irony of a single arrow felling such a great thief caused Jander to laugh outright, and he threw back his hood to reveal his handsome elven features, features twisted into a predatory snarl. His green eyes blazed with greed. 'With Dano dead and Lord Ruben Trickster- knows-where, I am in control of this guild!' He laughed again, and his laughter was joined by another. Jander smiled graciously at the Hand mage, the illusionist who had made one dilapidated house appear as a mansion to the now deceased Dano. He asked a question to which he already knew the answer, "You wish to be paid, hmm?" "Of course." replied the illusionist. "Would you be willing to accept payment in a week from now - I have only just attained my position, after all." Jander added a slight laugh to the end of his sentence. "With interest due to the inconvience suffered?" "Of course." Jander imitated the illusionist's dry tone. "Very well. Our business is otherwise concluded Jander - do not forget about me..." the mage's voice held a hint of threat, and his eyes glowed for effect. He then turned and strode out. "You shan't be forgotten, my friend," Jander murmered once the mage was out of sight, "though you may find the payment ... lacking....oh well." With that, Jander casually tapped the small gem on his ring.  
  
The mage's charred body fell to the ground, steam rising from the eye sockets, electricity grounding itself around him. The gem-encrusted amulet he wore shattered beneath his weight, releasing its remaining electrical charge.  
  
Jander smiled, and began his way back to the Guildhouse, the bodies of the guards and archers succumbing to the poison he'd placed in their water, strangled cries escaping from their throats and hatred mixed with understanding in their eyes.  
  
Garrett leaned back against the wall, relaxing slightly as he heard the not- so-gentle thud of bodies hitting the ground, and pulled his cloak around him a bit tighter as Jander exited the building. Garrett watched Jander disappear down the street, and a thought struck him. 'Perhaps, it is time to teach the Downwinders humility again.' He smiled sadistically. 'And I charge one hell of a tuition fee.' Letting the shadows enfold him in their embrace like a lover, he silently began making his way to new Guildhouse of the Downwinders. 'And I take upfront payment of fees only...' 


End file.
